November 10, 2014 - Part 2 - The Power of Prayer

Heath's letter continued...

"I worked my way back from where we were to a safe spot.  I didn't dare try to go any further as to fall and slip as Jeff did.  I yelled and called for a response from Jeff for ten minutes.  I still could not see or hear him and didn't know where he had stopped.  I got no response, so I did the best thing I knew too do.  I called upon the Lord with the power of the Priesthood to keep Jeff safe, comforted, and not in pain if he was alive.  I had an overwhelming feeling.  I could feel Jeff's spirit.  I knew he was there with me.  I felt it several times.  I had the feeling that he didn't make it, that he didn't suffer, and that he was on his way to our Father in Heaven.  At the same time I knew I had to find him.  Hoping Jordan and Brett were around somewhere I fired off three SOS shots with my gun hoping they would hear and wait around to help.  I did this a couple time till I only had one bullet left.  It was just about dark by this time so I worked my way down the mountain, around some cliffs and washes in the dark looking for him.  I could not see or hear him.  I called for him the whole way down.  When I got to the road, I left my pack and gun hoping Jordan and Brett were still around.  Up the mountain again I went in the dark, in a different wash this time than the one I came down, looking and calling for Jeff. It was pitch black.  I could not find, see, or hear Jeff. I could not even see his toque again.  So I offered another blessing for Jeff that he would be safe as I had to leave him on the mountain and go for help.  It was a long dark trek back ten kilometres to camp. I was exhausted.  I know Jeff was there giving me strength.  I could feel his spirit.  When back at camp we tried to get a hold of Derrick.  With no luck, we hit the SOS button.  Within two hours Don from Kemano was there with another guy that knew the Search and Rescue guys from Kitimat.  He was a subcontractor working in Kenano.  I think his name was Hank.  By 2:30 that morning the Marines and Coast Gaurd were at the location.  I went up in the chopper with them trying to see Jeff.  The wind was horrible.  It was throwing the chopper around so bad that they had to land.  Since it was too windy for the chopper, we decided to take ropes and equipment up the mountain and try and find Jeff.  Two Marines, Brett, and I went up the wash that I thought Jeff was in.  We repelled down the washes below the cliffs trying to find him.  We could not see him or his toque.  The one Marine was in the Special Forces for ten years prior to Search and Rescue.  He had been in Search and Rescue for twenty-six years.  He had thirty-six years experience and said Jeff was the first person he could not ever find.  He said it was the roughest terrain he had ever been in.  At 8:30 we came down the mountain.  It was just starting to get light by this time.  The helicopter had to go  as they were over their allotted work time and had to be back in Terrance by 9:30.  They were not coming back as they had other calls.  The last thing the Captain said to me at the chopper was because of the wind and rough terrain we would have to find him in the spring.  At that moment the wind stopped. (More on this amazing tender mercy in a future post.) We begged them to go up and look one more time.  They did.  The wind did not blow.  They spotted Jeff's orange toque just above where we had been looking all night.  They repelled down out of the helicopter and found Jeff.  I don't know how close he was too his toque, but they found him.  As the helicopter headed toward Terrace with Jeff inside the wind started blowing like a hurricane again.  As we all know it didn't stop blowing the rest of our time in there.  Small miracles did happen...When Jeff slipped and fell and I turned around and saw him fall, he did not scream, yell or even let a sound out.  I don't know why.  Maybe Jeff knew this was going to happen,  Maybe he was ready to go to our Father in Heaven.  Maybe he knew he had greater work to do.  I know Jeff is in a better place doing work that nobody else could do, touching the hearts the only he could.  He will always be with you.  Remember all the good.  Remember his laugh, his smile, and blue eyes." 

Heath